Virtual Realm, Sea of Knowledge.
A small boat suddenly emerged from the Whirlpool, with Freya, holding a little bat, sitting on it. Freya immediately spread her silver wings, noticing that her virtual wings were already starting to take shape.
Even if she no longer took risks creating whirlpools, staying in the Virtual Realm for about another month should be enough to fully condense her silver wings.
Though she had the little batâs assistance, creating whirlpools was still quite a challenging task. First, they had to encounter a knowledge creature, then precisely control the blood to bring the target to the brink of death, and finally, they had to track the target until it naturally exhausted and perished in the sea, forming a whirlpool.
It was quite normal for things to go wrongâkilling the target accidentally, failing to catch up, or not encountering a knowledge creature at all. Despite having the Secret Toxin diary for several days, Freya had only successfully created three whirlpools.
âDid you see that? Iâm very close to condensing my silver wings!â she joyfully told the little bat, âThen Iâll be able to climb to the Time Continent, and maybe Iâll meet him in the Virtual Realm!â
The little bat fluttered its wings. Although it said nothing, Freya almost felt as if she could understand its thoughts: âYou think my realm sect is not strong enough? Hmph, I donât need to upgrade my realm sect to the Golden level. His diary contains intelligence about the Golden Fish!â
âYesterdayâs chapter ended with his discovery that the Sea of Knowledge is actually inside the Golden Fishâs belly. Today he will update how to find the Golden Fishâhe surely also reached the Time Continent through the Golden Fish! After all, heâs even lazier than me. When we lived together, I never saw him train. Without smuggling, how could he have become a two-wings spellcaster from zero in just one month? I just need to follow his path, and Iâll catch up to him one day!â
âSpeaking of which, the update should be out by nowâ¦â
However, when she opened to the latest content, she found it wasnât the next chapter on the Golden Fish.
âWhat? No new Golden Fish chapter, just leaving it hanging there? How mean!â Freya let out a sigh, and the little bat on her shoulder seemed equally frustrated, nodding its head repeatedly.
Although Ashe left it on a cliffhanger, she still had to read the new update.
The Bewitcher looked down and found him writing todayâs diaryâ
âJune 8th, today I went through two events. The first happened in the morning, which annoyed me quite a bit but was within expectations. The second event occurred at night and, although it seemed unrelated to me, combined with the first, it added layers of mystery and intrigue.â
âChronologically, I should write about the first event first, but I feel like starting with the second.â
In the afternoon, on the blue-glowing sky highway bridge, three Crowâs Non-Aerial Motorcycle Racers were speeding along the Miracle Road, moving so fast they seemed to transform into phantoms.
Getting bolder, the rider of the middle motorcycle lifted the front wheel, riding on one wheel, frightening the passenger at the back, who clung tightly to the female rider: âYoung Lady, please can you steady the bike a bit?!â
These three Crowâs Non-Aerial Motorcycle Racers were carrying part of the Funeral party. Banjeet and Harvey shared one bike, Ashe was with Annan, and Igor with Lise.
Logically, Ashe should have shared a bike with either Lise or Igor, but since he couldnât ride a motorcycle himself, he couldnât carry Lise. Igor, on the other hand, firmly refused to have prolonged physical contact with Ashe, as if afraid Ashe might do something to him, making Ashe feel somewhat rejected.
Initially, Ashe thought the arrangement was pretty goodâhe got to hold the Young Ladyâs slender waist and enjoy the ride, truly a perk from the Firm. But once the bike got on the Miracle Road in the sky, all his romantic thoughts vanishedâthe speed was terrifying!
Although Annan didnât appear to be a goody-two-shoes, Ashe didnât expect her to be this wild, pushing the motorcycle to its highest speed the whole way. Initially, Igor and Banjeet were driving leisurely, but she forced them to squeeze every bit of power from their steel monsters to keep up.
Not only that, but she also loved performing various motorcycle stunts. Lifting the front wheel was just an appetizer; the true main course was the highwayâs sharp turns.
She first executed a high-speed corner drift, causing Ashe to feel as if he might smear across the highway and turn into a pile of mush. From then on, every time he saw the road, he clung to Annan as if trying to fuse himself with her.
After what seemed like an eternity for Ashe, Annan finally slowed down a bit, her voice projecting from within her helmet: âHaving fun?â
âFun? Hell no, Iââ
âLooks like my service wasnât up to par. I still have plenty of tricks I havenât shownââ
âNo, no, please, Iâve had enough. I canât handle any more of your stunts, Young Lady.â
âHeh,â Annan chuckled. âIâve always had this side to me. You better get used to it.â
âIsnât this just a rare occasion where we donât use a hovercar?â Asheâs eyes widened. âThere are more rides like this in the future?â
âOf course, I love riding motorcycles,â Annan replied. âDo you like it?â
For some reason, Ashe picked up a touch of nervousness and anticipation in Annanâs tone, as if she were sharing her most cherished passion with a friend. He suddenly realized that Annan probably hadnât had many friends growing up, and this dangerous hobby of hers clearly didnât have Banjeetâs approval. She might not have had anyone to share it with.
More importantly, Ashe needed a way to stop Annan from speeding: âI like it. Can you teach me how to ride?â
âBut you donât sound too enthusiastic.â
âIâll try my best for you!â Ashe said sincerely. âPlease teach me!â
âSweet talker.â Annan snorted with laughter. âNo wonder youâre the man who eliminated the Evil Arts Ranking.â
Asheâs expression darkened. Just then, Annan suddenly crouched on the bike seat and asked, âAre you ready?â
Behind them, Igor and Harvey saw her movements and accelerated, frantically honking their horns. Ashe, still confused, asked, âReady for whatââ
Before he could finish, Annan lightly jumped up and settled back down, pushing Ashe into the driverâs seat while she landed behind him, pressing against his back. In an instant, they swapped positions. Grabbing Asheâs hands, she placed them on the motorcycleâs handlebars and explained, âLeft hand is the clutch, right hand is the front brake, left foot is for shifting gears, and right foot is the rear brake. Got it?â
âCanât you teach me while driving?â Ashe was on the verge of a breakdown; he felt completely out of sync with the Young Ladyâs pace.
âYou learn faster when youâre the one driving,â Annan replied matter-of-factly. âCome on, donât think about your back, just focus on driving.â
Initially, Ashe hadnât paid attention to her mention of his back, but now every nerve in his body seemed to zero in on itâleave it to the Young Lady to make him genuinely enjoy riding a motorcycle!
With a master rider guiding him step-by-step, Ashe quickly picked up a new skill worthy of being added to his Spellcasterâs Handbook. Not only did he learn to ride, but he also instinctively got the hang of the âaccelerate-decelerate-accelerate-decelerateâ trick, until Annan twisted a piece of skin on his waist to make him stop goofing around.
Once Ashe managed to drive the motorcycle at a steady pace, Annan suddenly said, âSince this morning, the empire has canceled your wanted notice. Congratulations, youâre legal now.â
âItâs because of the Evil Arts Ranking, isnât it?â Ashe said, looking rather disheartened. âBut I canât seem to feel happy about it at all.â